INSOMNIA

I find myself sitting here at 2:00 a.m., trying to get tired enough to fall asleep, as I just finished a set of night shifts. I am reading over last my entry and I'm a little disappointed. I think I had conceded to the OCD part of me that makes me anxious when I haven't posted anything in nearly a week. And so, it seems, the highlight of the week was the birthing of a new radio station!

The last glint of sunlight retreats over the jagged edges of the distant mountains. Oddly shaped clouds that seemed to have invaded the moonlit sky can now be seen, barely reflected off the Bow River. The rider races along the paved path, leaving the blinding city lights and nonsensical chatter of urban hum. He passes a couple, clearly near the end of their evening stroll, mindlessly shifting up and down his gears as the topography demands. Soon, the path of pavement becomes a line of earth, pounded down by many footsteps and other bicycle wheels. It is eerily silent now, except for the soft rustling of the dry yellow grass as the wind starts to pick up. A split in the path appears and now the rider must depart from the comforts of the wide path that continues invitingly along the river. Instead, he crosses over a set of train tracks and begins his ascent into a forest...

I've actually been spending a lot of time outdoors as the weather is starting to pick up in Calgary. And with the marathon just around the corner, I've been increasing my mileage. A short run is now 15km. I'm also keeping up with the triathlon training, although I haven't registered for any races this year. So, this gets me to the pool every other day (working on that bilateral breathing thing) and likewise on my bike.

His concentration on keeping the bike on a path that cannot be seen is annoyingly interrupted by the steep pitch of the ascent. Shifting to an easier gear proves useless as his rear tyre starts spinning. Breathing rather deeply and rapidly, he makes it to the first bend. Despite the moon being shrouded by the clouds, he can almost make out the treeline which escorts this winding path on either side. The trees are leaf-less at this time of year and it's like he's riding through an army of tree skeletons, each peering down at him with menacing limbs stretched forth. Yet another hill. In his strain, the landscape blends into a grey, formless mass. Except for a patch of white that he barely catches out of the corner of his eye. He looks a little closer as his bike slowly passes by. It is a bunny.

I had lunch with J&P&E today (who invited their friends G&J) at Central Grand, probably one of my favorite places in Calgary for dim sum. G&J are expecting their first child this summer, so, lunchtime conversations eventually turned to strollers. Apparently, the Ferrari of strollers is a Bugaboo, and Nelly Fortado was recently spotted in Toronto sporting one of those (and not necessarily for a baby but for carrying her shopping bags). I guess there is a market for everything! G is also an avid snowboarder - well, who can blame him?! He was born in Calgary and has lived here most of his life. So, I guess I'm not done this season after all! We're going to do some spring time riding 2 days from now at Sunshine. Spring, relatively speaking, because they still got 10cm over the past 5 days!

The rider thinks he is hallucinating, as his legs are just burning from this incredible climb. Yet, the bunny remains there, curiously watching the rider struggle by, wrinkling its whiskers in disinterest. A twig snaps to the rider's other side. Without warning, and in true tag-team velociraptor fashion, another bunny darts out, baring down on the rider. Its fangs are exposed, dripping a thick, hunger-induced drool and its eyes are glowing blood-shot marbles. In the silence, a deep growl is let out. As the rider braced himself for the final strike, he closes his eyes and reflects on what a ridiculous way this was to die. When the pending darkness of life's expiration did not come in what seemed like an eternity, only then did he dare open his eyes. Just then, he caught a small glimpse of the second bunny, scooting off with the first bunny, both swallowed by the thick yellow grass and fence of naked trees. The rider turned his sights back to the path and saw a clearing quickly approaching, where the path ended and opened up to reveal a street, one familiar to the rider and one that would be leading him home. Only when he felt that he was at a safe distance did he look back. The diminishing forest didn't seem so scary now and he chided himself. But at that exact moment, a flash of lightning erupted the calm darkness of the sky. Oddly, there was no thunder. The only sound that the rider heard was the pitter-patter of the raindrops as the heavens opened up. And the snickering of two bunny rabbits that had their way with him tonight.

Oh yeah, Preston Manning might be running for Premier of Alberta...